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Liz Enterprises Vs State of Kerala

Date: June 27, 2025

Court: High Court
Bench: Kerala
Type: Writ Petition
Judge(s)/Member(s): DINESH KUMAR SINGH
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Subject Matter

ITC Disputes Disposal: Limited Window for Relief Under CBIC Circulars Granted

Input Tax Credit

Summary

The High Court disposed of this batch of writ petitions, which raised common issues concerning the denial of Input Tax Credit (ITC) during the initial GST implementation period (FY 2017-2019). The Court adopted the reasoning and conclusions from its earlier judgment dated June 4, 2024, in W.P.(C) Nos. 31559/2019 and connected matters.

The petitions involved three categories of taxpayers:

  1. Supplier Remitted Tax, Not Reflected: Supplier remitted the GST but failed to reflect it in their GSTR-1/GSTR-3B due to technical reasons.

  2. Supplier Did Not Remit Tax: Taxpayer holds a valid invoice and proof of payment (including GST component) to the supplier, but the supplier did not remit the tax to the Government.

  3. No Clear Proof: Taxpayer is in possession of the invoice but lacks clear proof of payment of consideration and tax and might not have received goods.

The Court granted specific relief based on two key points: recourse to the binding CBIC Circulars and a retrospective procedural relaxation on the ITC filing deadline.

Directions and Relief Granted:

1. Benefit of CBIC Circulars (For All Bona Fide Claims):

The Court granted a 30-day liberty period for petitioners who are eligible to claim the benefit of the following two CBIC Circulars:

  • Circular No. 183/15/2022-GST dated 27.12.2022

  • Circular No. 193/05/2023-GST dated 17.07.2023

These Circulars cover the period prior to January 1, 2022 (when Section 16(2)(aa) was introduced). They were issued to resolve bona fide claims and mistakes due to the non-availability of GSTR-2A initially, allowing ITC to be availed upon submitting proof of payment of tax by the supplier to the Government.

  • Action Directed: Petitioners may approach the appropriate GST authority within a period of thirty days from the date of the judgment. The GST authorities must examine the claim individually against the provisions of the Circulars and grant applicable relief.

2. Retrospective Procedural Relaxation on ITC Deadline:

The Court addressed the issue of the due date for claiming ITC under Section 16(4) (linked to the filing of the September return under Section 39).

The Court ruled that, for the period from July 1, 2017, till November 30, 2022, the due date for furnishing the September return shall be treated as November 30 of the succeeding Financial Year, regardless of the earlier statutory date (September 30).

  • Reasoning: This amendment is deemed procedural and is granted retrospective effect to ease the difficulties faced during the initial implementation of the GST regime.

  • Action Directed: ITC claims made on or before November 30 (instead of October 20/September 30) for the September tax period should be processed if the dealer is otherwise eligible.

FULL TEXT OF THE JUDGMENT/ORDER OF KERALA HIGH COURT

This batch of writ petitions contains three sets of cases. In some cases, the respective supplier had remitted the tax (GST) but not reflected in their return GSTR due to some technical reasons. Another set of petitioners are those who have received the goods or services and have valid tax invoices, proof of payment of the value of goods along with the GST component to the respective suppliers, but the respective suppliers had not remitted the GST on the supply made by them to the petitioners. The third set of petitioners are those who are in possession of the invoice but have no clear proof of payment of consideration and tax towards the inward supply and might not have received goods in their possession. Similar questions of facts and law involved in these writ petitions were decided by judgment dated 04.06.2024 in W.P.(C) Nos.31559/2019 and connected matters

2. The operative portion of the judgment reads as follows:

“99. The Government had realized the difficulty in the initial rollout of the GST regime under the CGST/SGST Act and considered that GSTR 2A was not available initially in the Finance years 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 during the implementation of GST. In order to resolve all bona fide claims and mistakes, Circular No.183/15/2022- GST dated 27.12.2022 and Circular No. 193/05/2023- GST dated 17.07.2023 have been issued. Circulars cover the period from the introduction of GST till Section 16(2)

(aa) was introduced with effect from 01.01.2022. The ITC can be availed by the recipient for the bona fide scenarios listed in those Circulars on submitting proof of payment to the Government by the supplier. Therefore, if, during the pendency of these writ petitions, the petitioners who could have got the benefits of these Circulars and could not avail the benefits within the time limit prescribed, may approach the appropriate GST authority within a period of thirty days from today to avail the benefit of the aforesaid Circulars, if the same is/are applicable to their case. The GST authorities will examine the claim of the individual dealer by applying the provisions of the Circulars, and it will grant applicable relief to eligible dealers.

100. Prior to the amendment in Section 39 by the Finance Act 2022, the date for furnishing the return under Section 39 was 30th September. Considering the difficulties in the initial stage of the implementation of the GST regime, its understanding, and compliance, the Legislature effected the amendment and extended the time for filing the return for September to 30th November in each succeeding Financial Year. The amendment is only procedural to ease the difficulties initially faced by the dealers / taxpayers. Therefore, where for the period from 01.07.2017 till 30.11.2022, if a dealer has filed the return after 30th September and the claim for ITC was made before 30th November, the claim for ITC of such dealer should also be processed if he is otherwise entitled to claim the ITC. It has been pointed out in several cases which are pending before this Court that the claim was made before 30th November of the succeeding Financial Year, but the relevant period was 20th October, which was the extended date for furnishing the return under Section 39 for the month of September. Therefore, if a person has furnished the return for the month of September till 30th November, their claim should also be considered and processed and should not be rejected if the dealer did not furnish the return for the month of September on or before 20th October. This amendment being procedural has to be given retrospective effect and, therefore, it is provided that it should be treated that the time limit for furnishing the return for the month of September is 30th November in each Financial Year with effect from 01.07.2017, considering the peculiar nature of difficulties in the initial period of implementation of the GST regime. So far as the challenge to the constitutional validity of Section 16(2)(c) and Section 16(4) is concerned, the same is rejected.

Result:

101. The liberty is granted to the petitioners, who can claim the benefit of the two Circulars, namely, Circular No. 183/15/2022- GST dated 27.12.2022 and Circular No. 193/05/2023- GST dated 17.07.2023 to make their claim within one month from today before the appropriate authority who shall examine the claim of the individual dealer and process the claim.

101.1 The time limit for furnishing the return for the month of September is to be treated as 30th November in each financial year with effect from 01.07.2017, in respect of the petitioners who had filed their returns for the month of September on or before 30th November, and their claim for ITC should be processed, if they are otherwise eligible for ITC.”

Hence, by adopting the reasoning, observations and conclusions recorded in the judgment dated 04.06.2024 in W.P.(C) Nos.31559/2019 and connected matters, these writ petitions stand disposed of.

All Interlocutory Applications regarding interim matters stand closed.